Before Sir Ganelon and Lucius could partake in a lovely stroll deep underground, there was business the both of them had to settle. The High Tribunal, through gritted teeth, played the host for his new Saracen arrivals and spent the latter part of the evening discussing matters relating to trade and new transport routes. Lucius was by Mister Ibn-al-Arabi’s side during the whole process as their guarantor; and thus, the gentleman smoothly shut down any attempt by the High Tribunal to worm his way out of a cooperative alliance.

  Lucius could see a question burning in the man’s head all throughout their talks: Just what happened in Arabia? Why did a people so drenched in hate of the Franks now choose to willingly join hands and call each other friend? He could not even reveal the Emir's prior treachery without potentially exposing his own.

  With Sir Medoro in attendance as well to serve as representative of the Levantine warriors, plans to expand to other countries proceeded along quite nicely. Ganelon tried to spout lack of manpower as an excuse to avoid sending guards for the caravans run by the Saracens, but the good Medoro countered him swiftly and cited using their own people. Arabia wasn’t so weak that it needed to rely on foreign powers for protection, and soon, the meeting came to a delightful close with a promise and a signed contract denoting their new partnership. Ganelon was livid.

  “You are a tricky man, Sir Lucius,” the High Tribunal had said to him before the gathering fully dispersed. “Are you sure you don’t want to work for me? It’s not too late. Your methods and character align much more with mine than that of Roland’s naive retinue. Had we met under different circumstances, we would’ve gotten along like kindred brothers, hm?”

  Lucius smiled and pretended to consider the man’s proposal for a moment, before letting him down with a polite bow. “There isn't a reason we cannot treat each other like that right now, no? My doors are always open for a dandy fellow such as yourself, should you ever desire a cup of tea.”

  “Hah, perhaps I will one day. That is, if you’re still alive by then…”

  With that last ominous bit out of the way, Ganelon pushed his way out of the room and disappeared into the halls of the castle. It was late. With few left remaining to entertain the gentleman, Lucius set off toward the bathhouse for a quick soak, the mess hall for a midnight meal after, and finally back to the familiar comforts of his Frankish abode.

  What met him upon his arrival however was his three plucky companions. Marco, Mili, and Harper stood by the door, their faces cast in a worrisome glow.

  “About time,” Mili said, stretching her arms out as a yawn escaped her throat. “I was starting to think I’d pass out on my legs before that old fart finally let you free.”

  “Apologies, Miss Mili. My duties as Peer are vast, and also require the assembly of many lengthy exchanges,” Lucius replied. “But oh my, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late night rendezvous?”

  Harper glanced around to make sure no one was watching them, before pulling Lucius and the others into the room. It seemed this discussion was one she wished to keep private.

  “Something’s wrong around here,” the firefighter said. “Marco and I tried to talk with the other players while you were gone, get some information and all that, but… they were acting pretty shifty. It’s odd. Besides the folks who came with us to Arabia, everyone else is doing a poor job of pretending like we’re not here.”

  Lucius raised his brow. “Oh? That is quite peculiar.”

  Marco joined in with a big sigh, seating himself down on the bed. “The miss ain’t even started yet. I used to see it all the time back when I was a runt, you know—the eyes of a man who’s gettin’ ready to jump ship. The nerves makes them jittery. They try to spout nonsense about being all in this together, when they’re the ones ready to betray their family just for a quick buck. It’s the same thing happening around here. Some fellas I was friendly with just last month are now runnin’ away as if I’ve got some grudge against them.”

  Lucius supposed it was inevitable that things would come to be this way. The players who chose to remain in the capital deluded themselves that this somewhat peaceful life of theirs would continue to be so, even when all signs pointed elsewise. They wanted to believe everything would turn out alright, that all their problems would be solved by another. And yet, as they buried their heads in the sand and gorged on fleeting luxury, fate came knocking regardless of how stubbornly they barred the door.

  When the first signs of trouble arrived, who was there to rely on? Who was there to placate them and feed into their imaginary hopes even as the citizenry evacuated and the demons encroached ever closer? The answer was Ganelon.

  “Huh, actually now that I think about it, didn’t those guys seem pretty buddy-buddy with those shady looking priests?” Mili said, crossing her arms. “And not the kind grandpa-like ones. I’m talking big bellies, greasy staches, the works. They were whispering something to each other, but honestly I didn’t really care to listen. Still shady though. You think everyone’s become Ganelon’s pawns?”

  Harper let out a tired grunt. “Wouldn’t surprise me. You'd figure we’d all be sticking together considering, you know, that we’re all from Earth. But I guess people are opportunists wherever you go.”

  “Eh, ‘s not like that I can’t understand,” Marco said. “Not everyone’s got the guts to roll with the punches. These folks were just ordinary workin’ people before all this game nonsense. How can ya expect them to go off and risk gettin’ their necks slit when their biggest worry before was just payin’ their bills? If anythin’, we’re the odd ones. If it were me when I was younger, more selfish, I would’ve bought into Ganelon’s oily words too. But it’s different now. I gotta get stronger in case my kids are still out there.”

  “Your kids?” Mili asked. “Oh yeah, from those orphanages you owned, right? Sometimes I forget you were filthy stinking rich, big guy.”

  “Hah, I call them that, but they’re all over thirty by now.” Marco rubbed his bald head and sighed. “I took a backseat in my later years, but I still remember the boys and girls I raised in my first building. They all grew up just fine, still callin’ me in retirement even when they’re busy with their lawyer or business jobs. I haven’t seen any of them in the city, but I just know they’re still alive and strugglin’ like we did. If not here, then probably in some other damn server or whatever this floating screen calls it.”

  Marco nudged Harper and Mili with his elbow. “What about you folk? Got any people you’re hopin’ to find?”

  The young musician shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Eh, not really. I was mostly a solo act for all my music gigs. Sometimes I hung out with other cool people to collaborate on songs. There was a drummer and bassist I’d call up occasionally, and also a composer I’d bump lyrics with whenever I needed to stir those creative juices. I’m not too worried though. If anyone’s surviving the apocalypse, it’s them.”

  Harper, meanwhile, appeared a bit solemn. “Well, obviously I’m worried about my folks, you know? My old man and mum’s getting on in years. I try not to think about it, but… if the tutorial was anything to go off by, then I doubt they’re still alive. They were firefighters too back in the day, so they probably went out trying to save someone. Moping around and feelin’ all down wouldn’t be what they’d want, so I’m tryin’ to carry on, help others who can’t help themselves. It’s the best way I can honor their memory.”

  After that heartfelt moment, the group turned their attention toward Lucius and waited for his own answer.

  “Hm? Oh, me?” the gentleman said. “Should fate will it so, then our paths will cross eventually. Such is the passage of life. Although, there are a few peculiar friends I wouldn’t mind meeting again, for it was their company that made my occasional wanderlust through the world all the more pleasant.”

  Indeed, Lucius had made many connections—both cordial and hostile—over the course of his adventures, though they wouldn’t be able to recognize him in his current state whilst not wearing the mask. One of his favorite fellows was a hard-boiled detective from the United Nations Bureau of Investigation who pledged to bring down the gentleman’s ‘reign of terror’ if it was the last thing he ever did. Such a humorous man! No doubt he was polishing his gun even now.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  But such an encounter would have to wait. Lucius conversed with his companions for a little while after, before eventually bidding them farewell for the night and tucking himself neatly in bed for a lovely nap. Thus did the darkness make way for light, and the fateful hour of six-o-clock passed once more.

  Lucius awoke with a hearty pep in his step and an energetic can-do attitude. There was much on the agenda for this Arboursday morning. As the saying went, “Time waited for no man.” Today was the day the gentleman and Sir Ganelon were supposed to venture into the Grave of Emperors. For it to happen a mere evening after their return was certainly a decision most rushed, but perhaps that was what the High Tribunal had intended. With little time to prepare or rest, he would strike whilst the iron was hot and take advantage of Lucius’s drowsy mind to bury him alongside the other deceased Frankish rulers. How dastardly. Bravo! And it would have worked… if Lucius was an ordinary person, that is.

  Before they could embark underground, however, Lucius had just one last visit to make. It had practically become routine at this point whenever he came back from a lengthy trip. Yes, the good Karolus was waiting for yet another one of his heroic tales, but when the gentleman approached the door… he noticed a surprising guest.

  There, pacing about with a nervous expression, was Sir Ganelon in the flesh. Now what could he possibly be here for?

  The High Tribunal stayed silent for a time. Eventually, he coughed into his fist and then knocked on the door. He fiddled with his fingers and held his head low, before perking back up once Karolus revealed himself, who pulled the handle just enough so that his face could be seen through the gap.

  “Uncle…?” Karolus muttered.

  Ganelon did his best to put on a gentle smile and greeted the young boy whilst rubbing his hands. “Karolus, my boy! How are you doing?”

  “I am still upset with you.”

  “Yes, yes… I understand. But please, won’t you let me in? I promise to explain everything.”

  The child hesitated. He did not seem all too pleased with the man before him, but nonetheless he decided to fully open the door and allow Ganelon inside. Before he could shut it, however, Lucius saw him glance in his direction. A faint smile tugged at his lips, and he left the entrance ajar just long enough for the gentleman to sneak through.

  “Haha, this room hasn’t changed at all,” Ganelon said, seating himself on the worn bed.

  Karolus frowned and closed his eyes. A great many words appeared eager to leave his throat. In the end, though, he chose to ask a simple question. “How did you know I’d be here?”

  To that, Ganelon took in a deep breath, and he looked around the space. He saw the aged furnishings, the wallpaper and wood crudely polished in an attempt to stop its deterioration, but all things whittled with time. Karolus was merely delaying the inevitable, keeping alive a memory that would one day fade.

  “Remember when you were little?” Ganelon replied, his face softening in recollection. “Oh, the days you’d sneak off and give me a heart attack! You always were a slippery scamp. Neither I nor the servants could even find your shadow. Yet, no matter where you ran off to, in the end we’d always find you back here. With her.”

  The man had always done his best to appear strong and confident in the presence of others. Here, however, his age could truly be seen. His frayed hair, his sunken cheeks, and those eyes long deprived of innocence… never before had Lucius seen him more vulnerable than now.

  “I’ve told you time and time again to let go of this place, my boy,” Ganelon continued in a low tone. “But you never listen.”

  Karolus shook his head. “I do, uncle. I listen all too well. I listened when you told me that I shouldn’t talk with the other servants, or the paladins, or those pitiful people from another world. I listened when you said that I shouldn’t concern myself with studying and to instead laze idly by in a room filled with books I’ve already memorized by heart. On that day when you discovered me holding a sword and broke it in a fit of rage, forbidding me from ever wielding any such weapon ever again, I listened even still. I’ve listened all this time, uncle. But this… I won’t ever give it up, no matter what you say.”

  Ganelon didn’t say a word in reply for a long while. He clasped his hands together and merely sat there in regret.

  “I just cannot fathom why you’re so stubborn with this of all things. Isn’t it painful, Karolus? I for one can’t stand it. Sitting on this bed, becoming sentimental… it’s all just a reminder that she’s no longer here. How long will you force this phantom to haunt us, my boy? Please, we must move on.”

  “How can you say that when you know just how important she was to me?”

  “Because she’s dead.”

  Ganelon spoke harshly, but it was clear that it pained him to do so. He didn’t wish to raise his voice in front of Karolus. And when he saw how the young boy startled at his sudden tone, remorse flashed through his face; yet he persisted even so. In Ganelon’s mind, Karolus needed to face reality.

  “Do you think I want to do this?” he said in a bitter hiss. “Do you think you were the only one who cared about her? I cherish you both, perhaps more than you will ever realize. But that is why I cannot allow her death to hold us back. She is a curse, one who will plague our nightmares until the day comes when we can finally forget.”

  “I don’t care.” Karolus replied bluntly. “I don’t care if remembering her causes my heart to ache. I don’t care if I cry myself to sleep in remembrance of those days I can never get back. I don’t care at all, uncle, because this pain is proof that she existed—that she was once alive. We’re the only ones who can do so. Everyone else has forgotten, but I never will. And you won’t either.”

  “I will try.”

  “Because you’re a coward. I am not as naive as you think I am, Uncle Ganelon. I know that you’re scared, and afraid, a miserable man who can only run away out of fear that he’ll eventually crumble. I really did respect you, once upon a time, but now… now, you’re just pathetic.”

  To see the young Karolus spout such scornful words was a sight to behold. But what surprised Lucius most of all was that Ganelon did not try the slightest to refute him.

  “Karolus, I—” he began. “I know you aren’t happy with the way things are at the moment, but you must understand that this is for your own good.”

  “How?” the boy spat back. “Every time I ask this, you reply with excuses and half-hearted apologies.”

  “Because you are not ready.”

  “Then when will I be? Until I’m old and grey? Until I can hardly lift a muscle from wasting away all year long? I tried to understand you, even when it hurt me to do so, but even after all this time you’d still keep me waiting. Is it so hard to… to…”

  Karolus choked up and tried to hold back a flood of tears. “To let me see the starry sky?”

  “It’s not as pretty as you’d think, Karolus.”

  “That's for me to decide. And not just that, but the world beyond this castle: the fields of wheat and flowing brooks of Francia, the vast deserts and sandy dunes of Arabia, the seaside coasts and lush jungles of the Moors… I want to see it all. Tell me, uncle. Tell me the truth. When will I be ready?”

  Karolus begged Ganelon to answer him. He cried with all his heart and soul, pleaded until his throat turned hoarse. Yet, he never received an answer. Ganelon simply lowered his head and remained silent.

  Perhaps even he didn’t know as well.

  “... Get out.” Karolus marched to the door and flung it open, before staring at Ganelon with a firm disappointment. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

  Ganelon raised his hand as if to try and explain himself, but he had no more excuses to give. No way to defend himself. In the end, he stood up and sorrowfully did as the boy commanded.

  “One day, you will understand why I do the things I do.” The man said. “You will come to thank me. Everyone will.”

  “Then I pray you’re right.”

  With that, Karolus slammed the door shut, and he jumped onto the bed before burying his face in a pillow.

  “You can come down now, Lucius.”

  The gentleman slowly descended from his hiding spot on the ceiling and gently approached Karolus, offering him a handkerchief and an iced cup of sweet blackberry tea. The young boy gratefully accepted it, quickly gulping down the drink while blowing his nose; and all the while Lucius patiently waited for him to open up on his own.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me anything?” he said after calming himself down. “There’s a lot you… might be confused about. About me.”

  “I could,” Lucius replied. “But rather than sate my curiosity, I would much rather attend to my friend whose eyes have yet to dry. Worry not, young Karolus. I shall stay by your side however long you wish.”

  The boy looked up at Lucius, both shocked and perhaps awed at how such a man could want for nothing other than to help a fellow in need.

  “Thank you.” Karolus gave the gentleman a bright smile. “When I’m ready, I promise to tell you everything. No more hiding.”

  “Take your time, my friend. I’m in no rush.”

  Thus, the two spent the afternoon indulging in a lovely tea party. Not a word was spoken between them, but they didn’t need to. The sounds of clinking cups and gobbled pastries was more than enough to fill the silence.

  Until Karolus felt comfortable in revealing the truth on his own, Lucius would continue waiting. For he knew this tragic child’s blooming would be far too soon.

  The Esteemed Gentlepeople of the , to whom I am forever grateful

  [The Distinguishedly Dandy Gentlemen Hall of Fame]